Railway signaling device.



No. 726,512. PATENTED APR. 28, 1903.

E. M. CUTTING. Y RAILWAY SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 19, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

IINTTED STATES PATENT Curios.

EDWIN M. CUTTING, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO W. W.SLATER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, AND H. C. BARNES,

OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

RAELWAY SBGNALING DEVlCE.

PPECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent NO. 726,512, dated April28, 1903.

Application filed August 19, 1902. Serial No. 120,234. (lilo modelJ Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN M. CUTTING, a citizen of the United States,residingin Oakland, county of Alameda, State of Califor- 5 nia, haveinvented an Improvement in Railway Signaling Devices; and I herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in to signals for use upon railwaysand for like purposes and means for operating such signals.

It consists of a stationary disk the upper half of which is colored toindicate a certain condition, as a clear line for trains, and the I5lowerhalf anothercondition, as danger,and in conjunction therewithmovable blinders with means for actuating the same, whereby the blindersmay be so moved that one will coincide with the upper part of thestationary :0 disk while the other is concealed, or the other may bemade to coincide with the lower half of the stationary disk while theupper half is concealed. In conjunction with these devices are coloredglazed segments fixed, respectively, in the upper and lower half of acircular opening made in the stationary disk and a light so fixed withrelation to these segments that the color of the exposed segment will beshown at night. In connection with these devices is a mechanism foractuating the blinders simultaneously or in unison, so that one will bemoved to expose one portion of thesignal-disk while the other covers theother portion, or the movements may be re- 3 5 versed.

My invention also comprises details of construction, which will be morefully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure l. is a general view showing the exterior of the signal in clearor go-ahead position. Fig. 2 shows the signal in danger or stop positionwith the inclosing case partially cut away. Fig. 3 is a rear View of thesignal with the cover removed, showing the lamp and the mechanism foractuating the blinders. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the operativeparts and circuits.

My presentinvention is designed to provide a railwaysignal of that classin which the ensignal shows a full red disk when in the danger or stopposition, and the absence of any movable disk indicates the clearorproceed position. By night the indications are a red light for stop ordanger and a white light for the proceed or clear position, except onsuch railroads as have adopted a green light for the clear position, inwhich case it is necessary to provide some means for moving the greendisk in front of the signal-lamp when the clear position is to beindicated. Experiments have shown that the only satisfactory green fornightsignals has been obtained with glass, and as glass is too heavy tobe moved by the delicate mechanism of the disk signals it becomesnecessary to resort to some other method to obtain the desired results.v

In my invention I employ a stationary disk A, made of any suitable ordesired material. Centrally through this disk is made a hole usuallyabout six and one-half inches in diameter,and in the upper half of thishole is fixed a green translucent segment 2 and in the lower half a redtranslucent segment 3, completing the circle. This disk, with itstranslucent segments, is fastened rigidly to the frame of the case.Behind these disks and exactly central is placed an ordinarysignal-lantern, as 4. The upper half of the disk Ais painted white andthe lower half is painted red, the white indicating in the day-time aclear track and the redindicating danger. In order to complete thecircle of either white or red, I have shown segments 5 and 6, havingarms or attachments by which they are fixed to a shaft '7, so that thehalf or segment disks project from the shaft at such an angle from eachother that one may be brought into position to correspond with the upperor white portion of the stationary disk, while the other will beconcealed within the case. The disk which is thus moved up from below tocommo plete the circle of the upper or white half of the stationary diskis painted of the same color, so that when in its exposed position itcompletes the circle of the white disk. The other half or segment diskis painted red, and when this is moved to coincide with the-lower or redhalf of the stationarydisk it completes the red circle, while the whiteone is concealed within the case. This serves for daysignals.

It has been found that for night-signals the half or segmental disks ofred and green are well suited for the purpose and are readily visibleand distinguished when the signallamp behind them is lighted. Thesesignals are correspondingly exposed or uncovered by the movements of thehalf-disks 5 and 6, as previously described. In order to operate thesedisks, the shaft 7 has a chain I connected with it through a lever, asat 8, and this chain is wound upon the drum of a small motor, as at 9,or any equivalent actuating device may be used. When the current ofelectricity is passed through this motor, it will revolve and wind thechain up and turn the shaft, so as move the segments to expose eithercolor of the signal which may be desired. The shaft which carries thedisk also has fixed to it the movable part of a circuitbreaker, as 10,and an armature 11.

12 is a high-resistance magnet so located as to attract the armature 11when the signal has nearly completed its movement toward the clearposition. This action is effected by means of the circuit-breaker 10,which causes an electrical current to pass through the magnet 12, andthis being thus energized attracts the armature l1 and holds the signalin a clear position with a very small consumption of electrical current.

The two half-disks are so placed that there is always ample weight tocause the signal to assume the danger or stop position by gravitationwhenever the electric current is cut off by opening the relay or by anyother cause, thus insuring the danger or stop position Whenever suchindication should be properly shown.

The signal may be controlled by a trackcircuit relay, an ordinary relay,a railroadtrack-switch circuit-breaker, or by any other method which maybe necessary or desirable for any especial occasion.

When armature is in position shown in Fig. 4, the signal being at clear,there is a break in the circuit, as shown at c, leaving, however, aclosed circuit through the holdclear magnet 12 and motor 9 in series.This circuit being of high resistance allows but a small current topass, which will not affect the motor, but will energize the hold-clearmagnet, so as to attract its armature l1 sufficiently. This operationwill be better understood from the following: The commutator 10 has aninsulation at c, and when the brush 0, comes in contact with it by theoscillation of the lever 8 the circuit between the brushes b a is brokento cut out the main flow; but still the same small quantity of currentas before is passing through the wires or t, magnetwires 3 7', motor,and the wire m. This current, however, though enough to keep the magnetenergized, is not sufficient to run the motor, and the latter standsstill. At all other positions throughout the motion of armature 11 apath is closed between brushes a and b by the conducting-segment ofcommutator, thus short-circuiting the high-resistance path through themagnet 12 and maintaining a direct path through the motor independentlyof the said magnet. The course of the current in this instance is frombattery through the wires n 0, the brush 1), commutatorsegment 10, thebrush a, the wire 25, the high-resistance magnet, and the wires 8 and r,the main body of current going to the wire 7 through segment 10 and ontothe motor to actuate the latter.

I have herein described and shown a wellknown form of railway-signal andone form of mechanism to actuate the parts; but I do not desire toconfine myself to these, since it is necessary to construct the signalto conform to the position and service for which it is designed, and thelocation and arrangement of the motor and connected parts may be changedwithout materially altering the character of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1.. A signal comprising a stationary opaque disk, the upper half beingof one color, and the lower half of another color, a glass mounted inthe upper half having a color corresponding in significance to the colorof said upper half, and aglass mounted in the lower half having a colorcorresponding in significance with the color of the lower half, andmeans for simultaneously concealing one and exposing the other.

2. A signaling device consisting of a sta tionary opaque disk, the upperhalf being of one color, the lower half of another color, segmentalblinders movable in unison so that one of said blinders may be made tocover one of the halves of the stationary disk, while the other blinderis moved to expose the other half, said blinders being colored so thatthe color of the closed blinder corresponds with the exposed half of thestationary disk of which it forms the continuation.

3. A railway-signal consisting of a stationary opaque disk, the upperhalf being of one color, the lower half of another color, and each halfhaving a glass mounted therein of a color corresponding in significanceto the color of the half in which it is fixed, blinders movable inunison so as to cover one of said colored glasses and expose the other,and mechanism by which said blinders are simultaneously actuated.

4:. Astationary opaque disk, the upper half of which is of one color,the lower half of an- IIO they are fixed at such an angle that one mayother color, an upper and a lower movable opaque blinder each in theform of a halfdisk, a common axis orpivot upon which the pair aremounted to move simultaneously so that one will coincide with one halfof the stationary disk and cover the other half, each of said blindershaving a color corresponding with the half which is left exposed, and ofwhich it forms a continuation.

5. A railway-signal consisting of a stationary disk having the upper andlower halves of different colors, blinders in the form of half-disks andadapted to cover the upper or lower half of the stationary disk andexpose the other half, said blinders being colored to form with theexposed half of the stationary be made to coincide and form acontinuation with one of the halves of the stationary disk while theother is concealed, an electrical motor and connections whereby saidmotor acts to turn the shaft and change the position of the blinders, amagnet fixed with relation to the shaft, an armature carried by theshaft, and a means for energizing the magnet whereby the armature isattracted to hold the blinders in safety position, said blinders beingbalanced to fall by gravitation to the danger position upon the breakingof the circuit.

7. A railway-signal consisting of two stationary and differently coloredsemidisks having a substantially continuous periphery, in combinationwith correspondingly-colored blinders mounted in front thereof, andmechanism by which said blinders are actuated in unison to conceal oneof the segments and to form with the other a complete disk of a sin glecolor.

8. A railway signal consisting of two stationary and differently coloredsemidisks having a substantially continuous periphery, a centralcircular opening, one half of which is formed in each disk, glassesfixed in each half having a color corresponding in significance with thesegment in which it is fixed, and blinders with mechanism by which theyare movable in unison to conceal one and expose the other glass and alight fixed behind the glasses.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

EDWIN M. CUTTING.

Witnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, JESSIE O. BRODIE.

